
In a delicious twist, Governor Gina Raimondo issued the following statement on Monday.
"I would love it if the PawSox stayed in Rhode Island, and the idea of a multi-use stadium in downtown Providence is exciting. But it's my job to look out for Rhode Island taxpayers, and I take that job very seriously.
"From what I understand of the owners' initial proposal, it appears that Rhode Island taxpayers would pay most, if not all of the cost of building the new stadium, yet the owners would stand to receive all of the profits. That isn't fair for Rhode Islanders.
"We look forward to receiving much more information about alternative financial proposals, and I remain committed to working with Mayor Elorza, the Speaker, and the Senate President to evaluate whether we can find a framework with the team's owners that will benefit Rhode Island."
While this statement offers a bit of hope, again the language is crafted in a very particular way. I find it disturbing that Gina's "commitment" is to, "...working with Mayor Elorza, the Speaker, and the Senate President," with no mention of the will of the people, which from my vantage point ranges from "No" to "Jumping Jesus in a Jam Jar! No effing way!"
It seems that SkeffCo's campaign contributions in the last election cycle didn't buy them the influence that they thought it did. More interestingly, Skeffington's Law firm, Edwards, Angell, Palmer &Dodge, prior to being swallowed up by international law firm Locke Lord, contributed over $13,000 dollars to then-treasurer now- governor Gina Raimondo. Caveat emptor!